Cohen, 33 Democrats Announce Formation of New Congressional State Medicaid Expansion Caucus
[WASHINGTON, DC] – Continuing his efforts to bring high-quality health coverage to Tennessee’s most needy, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) joined Congressmen Hank Johnson (GA-04) and G.K. Butterfield (NC-01) and many others this morning to launch the new Congressional State Medicaid Expansion Caucus. The Caucus, which includes 34 Members of Congress, is being launched to highlight the need for all Governors and state legislatures—including Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and the Tennessee General Assembly—to expand their Medicaid systems as prescribed by President Obama’s landmark Affordable Care Act and provide benefits to low-income citizens currently caught in a politically-caused coverage gap.
“By not expanding Medicaid, Governors around the country—and at home in Tennessee—are conveying a message that they have little concern for the neediest, sickest, and most desperate of their constituents,” said Congressman Cohen “While this may not be Governor Haslam’s intention, the reality of the situation is that 234,000 of our state’s most needy are going or will go without the health coverage that they need and that President Obama’s health care reform law says they should have. Studies have even shown that thousands of Americans each year will die avoidable deaths because of lack of access to Medicaid. That is unacceptable.”
This morning’s launch launch of the State Medicaid Expansion Caucus follows a White House Council of Economic Advisors report showing that 234,000 Tennesseans who would be eligible for health insurance coverage under the state’s Medicaid program, TennCare, will not be covered in 2016 and that more than 40,000 residents will face financial hardship, many catastrophically, as a result of not being covered by an expanded TennCare program.
“I remain committed to ensuring that all Tennesseans are able to take advantage of the important protections made available by the President’s landmark Affordable Care Act, and I am proud to join so many of my socially-conscious colleagues in calling on every governor to do the right thing, take swift action, and expand Medicaid for the good of our country’s citizens.”
Several times this year, Congressman Cohen has offered to help the Tennessee Governor extend health coverage to those who cannot afford coverage and are unable to take advantage of important protections of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) because of the state’s inaction. In a recent letter to the Governor on this topic, Congressman Cohen also highlighted how a number of conservative governors—including Ohio’s John Kasich and Arizona’s Jan Brewer—have worked with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to expand Medicaid coverage to their states’ less fortunate.
“Even Conservative Arizona Governor Jan Brewer expanded Medicaid,” continued Congressman Cohen. “If Governor Brewer with the recalcitrant legislature she has can do it, Governor Haslam can do it, too. But instead we’re losing all of this money. It is immoral for our state to not provide this basic necessity to those who need it desperately, especially when the vast majority of the cost is covered by the Affordable Care Act.”
Representatives from healthcare advocacy groups including Families USA, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Coalition on Human Needs, the Catholic Health Association of the United States; and the Georgetown Center for Children and Families also joined Congressman Cohen and his colleagues to help launch the State Medicaid Expansion Caucus this morning.